Tuesday, March 20, 2012

After graduation, I landed a job fast enough.
It's what I have prepared myself to be--a lecturer in a university.
I
teach students the way I love to be taught. I seek answers to the
questions that shoot sparks up my spine. I get to mingle in conferences
and workshops in places I have longed to visit.
And, I get paid for doing all that.
Pretty sweet deal, no? Life did seem kind of sweet then.
(Especially since I just returned from an awesome trip to India then, and had been feasting my eyes on 7 weeks of Indian beauty)

Two
months into my new chapter in life, I aimed to attain financial
security by 42 years old (yeah, kinda weird number, figured that 45
seems a bit too old!), and attain professorship before 38. I read books
and articles about personal financing, learned the do's and don'ts of
the securities investing, and paid lots of attention to the criteria of
getting a professorship in Malaysia.

Six months later, it
dawned on me that my two latest goals were no easy task. They were
difficult in their own right, but more so in my case because they would
require me to steer off my initial path. I would need to get out of my
comfort zone into ...quite an oblivion zone of uncertainty. My comfort
zone is being in a learning environment, where even though I may hold
the mantle of a 'teacher', I am learning with and from everyone else
involved.

You see, with my salary (which isn't anywhere
near pitiful), financial security at 42 is possible only IF i) my salary
increases leap and bound, or ii) I maintain an annual return on
investment of about 20%, or iii) I marry a remarkably rich (but surely
blind) woman who sadly (but conveniently) passes from this earthly plane
and leaves me with all her fortune.

In the 2nd week of
this semester, I was packing up my stuff in the lecture hall after I
finished a class. Students were streaming out of the hall. One student
came up to me.
"Hi Dr. My name is not on the attendance list."
"Oh?
Have you registered?"
"No, not yet. The class was full, but I will wait
for the cap to lift, then I can register."
"Aiyah...this class already
almost 70 students! Please consider other sessions. Quite hard for me to
teach so many of you."
"No no, I will register for this
class."
"What...?! You sure or not?"
"Yes I am sure. For sure I will join this class."

At
the end of last semester, one of the students wrote in his/her class
evaluation sheet--"Thank you a lot Yao Hua! Last time I very scared and
don't dare to talk in front of people. But you gave me confidence to
answer in class. Now I think I improved a lot. Thanks!!"

A few weeks ago I
met a student from last semester. The first thing she screamed was "Eh
Yao Hua~~!", then she said "I miss you". No tinge of embarrassment, no
hint of pretence. I really missed them too, and so that was what I
replied.

I spend the first 5 minutes of every 2-hour
lesson on an in-class sharing of past week's stories and experience.
Last week I actually played "Menghitung Hari" for them (well, I almost
wanted to sing it too!). Last week's class, I could see them nodding
their heads, and at times frowning in deep thought as we discussed world
hunger and agriculture. In the same class, I heard them sucked in their
breath when I hit myself against the desk, and they all gasped when I
slided over the counter.

Every week now I spend at least
two hours with each Final Year Project student on guiding and discussing
their projects. I have three FYP students this semester. It's amazing
and a certain joy to witness the improvement of the students within just
two hours. Bakers must feel the same way seeing their bread or cakes
rise!

With all of that, I really cannot think of a better
occupation than mine. Master Hsing Yun vowed to be a monk for every of
his reincarnation and lives; I will be just as content and eager to be a
teacher in each and every of my lives. I guess professorship and wealth
can take a backseat--they are just by-products of a wonderful,
meaningful journey.